10 Ways to Make Today Magical

Happy Monday!  And happy Labor Day to those in the states, as well!

Here are a few ways to make a little magic with the kiddos this week…..

1.  Go splash in the rain together — or in the puddles after the rain is over.  My 14 year-old Anna took 2 year-old Fiona outside to dance in the rain yesterday and before long she was joined by her big sister Victoria and then Dad and then 11 year-old Jack.  They had a blast before they finally came back in, soaking wet but grinning ear to ear.

2.   Have a cleaning party with the kids.  Dress up in fabulous play dress-up clothes (party hats and/or tiaras are a must!), blast some happy music, grab some fun treats and clean like crazy together.  Set a timer for every 15 minutes to take a break and enjoy some treats together, and concentrate on being as wild and wacky as possible as you clean.  Who says cleaning has to be dull?!

3.  Take part in the Spore Project!  This fun art project involves simply making mushrooms from paper lunch bags to decorate a bit of land someplace.  The creators explain:

You can learn more on the Spore Project website or their fun Facebook page.

4.  Make colored ice blocks for the bath.  Here’s how we do it.

5.  Go graffiti spotting.  My Anna is a huge graffiti fan and she loves to go places to photograph particularly well done work.  Trains and urban areas are where we’ve found the best stuff.  (This one was a memorial for a young man who died.)

 6.  Make up some batches of play dough with natural dyes.  It’s great fun to experiment to make your own colors.  Here’s our recipe.

7.  Sit down with your kids and make up lists of 10 or 20 things you each love about special people in your lives.  You can write the lists for kids who aren’t writing yet, but keep it in their words and have them add some decorations.  Then mail them out or take a picture to email to each loved one.

8.  Head out with a permanent marker and alter some leaves.  Leave them discreetly in nature where observant passers-by will happen upon them and get a smile.  🙂

9.  Set up some art supplies outside and let the kids make a glorious, artistic mess.

10. Have you microwaved a bar of Ivory soap with the kids yet?  Take it one step further and make colorful soap clouds!  Here’s how we do it, along with the science behind the fun.

And with that, chickadees, I’m getting back to work.  I have lots of updates to share, but they’ll have to wait till slightly later.  I have a broken oven, a (mildly) flooded basement, a recovering boy and the messiest house this side of the Mississippi to deal with. 

I’ll be back soon, but in the meantime — have a magical week!